Shadow Shot Sunday ~ spring!

In honor of our wedding anniversary and Mother's Day this weekend, I'm posting two of my favorite folks today.
Shadowy figures, aren't they?

We were at Ralph's sister's house last Saturday to celebrate her granddaughter's First Holy Communion.
It was a nice day with family and the weather was perfect.  

Lilacs bloomin' in our yard.

The weather was perfect for most of yesterday as well.
I spy some shadows in this photo I took yesterday morning.
Today is dreary and rainy. Hoping for sunshine tomorrow. ;-)

Cheerful tulips in the sun. Happy May!

And as I mentioned on Facebook yesterday, I don't even remember planting these Easter tulips last year. But I'm glad I did.

Ah, sunny mornings that create shadows in our yard.

I'm happy to be back posting shadow shots after two months.

Join in the fun and see more photos of shadows from across the globe at Shadow Shot Sunday 2.
 

* I wish all a Happy Shadow Shot Sunday and a Happy Mother's Day! * 

Shadow Shot Sunday

A toddler and his juice box on a summer day.

See lots more shadow shots at Hey Harriet, hosted by our awesome Aussie friend Tracy!

Um, orb?

I was rather surprised, to put it mildly, when I put this photo taken after Sunday's commencement ceremonies on the computer and took a look.

Of all the photos we took that day it is the only one with an "orb" in it. Now I realize a lot of people don't think that orbs are spirits among us, coming by to say hi.

But it is interesting/fun to consider it, right Linda?

My immediate thought was that it was the spirit of one of Allegra's three late grandparents wanting to be a part of the celebration. It was a happy family event, after all!

You've got to be kidding

A friend who has put her house on the market was telling me yesterday that it has been an eye-opening experience.

She and her husband have a dog and two kitty cats. One couple looking at the house asked if they would be taking their animals with them.

She was shocked, as I would be! As if their pets were part of the furnishings, or garden tools or something.

I just don't understand some people.

This takes the cake

I made a cake recipe that Empress Bee sent me to give to our niece Amy, who is collecting favorite recipes from family and friends.

It's easy to make and oh so good, if you like sweets, that is. The frosting is whipped topping covered with sweetened coconut flakes.

Here is the recipe:

bake a cake mix in a disposable 9x13 baking pan

cool cake

stick a fork in it all around to poke holes

put one cup of milk in a measuring cup with 1/2 cup of sugar and heat to dissolve sugar

pour over cake and refrigerate

when cold, frost with cool whip and top with sweet coconut (like mounds in a plastic bag)

yummy! bee
xoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxo

Thanks, Bee ~ I know it will be a hit.

A simpler time and place

Ralph recently looked through a wooden box of old family photos and came across one of my all-time favorites, and I thought I would share.
My father has been gone since March of 1976; he died at 65. I will always miss him. I still have questions that I wish I could ask him, I know he would have the answers.
I do remember how he was looking forward to the nation's Bicentennial. He missed out on the celebrations.

He looks about five years old in this picture, sitting on a pony outside their New Haven home with his sister, Phyllis. If he was 5 here, that would mean the photo was taken in 1916.
I was told photographers would travel around neighborhoods and ask parents if they wanted a picture taken of their little darlings.
I'm sure glad today that my grandmother said yes!

Ralph scanned the undated photo for me. Below is a sepia-fied version, much closer to the original. Which one do you prefer?

Little things mean the most

I don't want a medal or anything but I have to brag a bit because it's my blog and I'll brag if I want to.
Without even trying I discovered there's truth in the saying that it's the little things that mean the most.
My mother and I attended a bridal shower Sunday. There were a lot of women there and a LOT of gifts. I was hoping that we wouldn't have to watch the gift opening, but no such luck.

We sat at a table near the back and missed seeing a lot of the gifts that were opened. It was hard to see around all the heads.
When the bride opened my card containing a gift card and an old family photograph, she came right over to our table to thank me, but more importantly to show her mom, my cousin, the photo. It was a picture of the two of them on Christmas Day in 1975 when the baby was just two-months old.
The picture captured a squirming baby wearing a red outfit being held by a smiling young mother.

My cousin immediately got up from the table and walked around showing off the picture to her guests. She was all smiles.

I felt good that having the picture meant so much to both of them, and enclosing that photo with the gift didn't cost a cent.

OK, done bragging. Haven't been blogging much lately. Hope to resume soon. G'night.

Lovely service for an inspiring woman

Last Saturday I accompanied our pastor to an out-of-state memorial service for the mother of a lovely woman who is a member of our church.
This woman had given us frequent updates about her mother's condition, and we prayed for her as a congregation.

Analu had come to the United States from South America in the 1950s, a single mother of four.
At the service, I met her other children, and observed her grandchildren and great-grandchildren celebrating her life. After our pastor performed the first part of the ceremony, a priest officiated and spoke only in Spanish.

I had never met Analu, but it was clear from her children's loving tributes that she was a strong woman who sacrificed all so that they would have a better future.

I couldn't help but put myself in her shoes, and wonder if I would have been as courageous to do what she did in coming to this country as a single mother to start her life anew.